09/27/2023
I was requested to comment on a very relevant topic faced by our students, staff, faculty and administration which is bullying. This is an epidemic of itself which I truly don’t think any candidate will deny.
The reference was, what is my opinion on the topic, how do we combat the issue, and a reference to bullying and why isn’t it being reported by the students or is it and it being overlooked?
I am happy to share my thoughts to my constituents but also sad at the same time that this is where we are in society.
This is a societal problem, not just a problem facing Vinton County. It comes in forms of innuendos and slanderous comments made through face to face interactions, through social media, the actions of exclusion, through actions of violence and discriminatory judgements and behaviors. These bullying behaviors can happen anywhere, from homes, workplaces, bus rides, lunch lines, classrooms, play grounds, after hours activities and behind the screen of smart phone or computer. We all know this. Honestly, I believe the use of technology has expanded our abilities to be efficient in our day to businesses and truly benefit us a society but at a price we just weren’t prepared to pay through social emotional delays of generations and impairing our youth from developing healthy behaviors. That is another issue though for another day.
Bullying is definitely a problem. All of my children have experienced this problem through their childhood and there most definitely were times when, as a parent, I was more than displeased and made note of the situation and escalated the matter to the chain of command. I did that by following the processes in place and elevated to the level of administration by making an appointment to discuss my concerns and the particular situation for my child was addressed. There were also times, that situations arose that it really wasn’t a school issue as much as it was a fellow student and who bullied my child after hours through social media but it bled over into the school setting. How does a system battle social media? It isn’t easy for a school administration to impact the greater system of social media that truly has no boundaries, compared to a district that is bound by legal constraints. In this situation I experienced, I equipped my son with healthy ways to cope and gave him choices in how to handle it (he was in middle school), and let him decide the level in which I involved myself and took the situation to administration or higher. I point that out because we did not report the issue to school authorities as a choice, not because we felt like the staff didn’t care or because we felt it would be overlooked, but it was the choice my son wanted to make and as a mother I supported my son in his decision to learn to effectively handle conflict in a healthy way. That being said, had it not resolved, yes I would have trusted my district employees to be involved and I would have ensured the expectation of accountability.
I could share endless stories that impacted my children through bullying and I don’t say that to dismiss the problem. I say to suggest, there is no discrimination of this epidemic. I have three sons and all three sons suffered through instances of unacceptable behaviors of others. There are boundaries that cannot be crossed and excused. I agree with that mindset completely.
I honestly can say with a clear conscious, that VCLS as a whole, wants to see this problem end. Teachers, staff and administration as a whole, care about the safety and well being of their students. There are processes in place that outline the steps for students, parents and guardians to address issues. I recommend that those steps be exercised and elevate to the next level if you feel the situation is not addressed. Ask for guidance if you are unsure of those steps.
How do we combat this issue? I feel one significant Avenue I have been advocating for personally on my time on the board, is to create healthy outlets for our students facing issues through mental health wellness and providing resources for our students. Our teachers are faced with countless tasks that are compounded with mental health issues that they are not prepared to handle professionally. I have openly shared my opinions on this matter and the board has collectively discussed this resource in our school district alongside the superintendent.
Safety is also part of that. There have been discussions about these issues. We have expanded resource officers to the schools and created more visibility of authority. I have been in the high school when the bell rings, and I have witnessed the principal, vice principal and teachers in those hallways along with the students providing a watchful eye.
Can we do better? Of course we can! We always can! As a board member, I exercise the level of accountability. I have had concerns brought to my attention and I have addressed everyone of them through the proper chain of command and gained insight to the situation and responded within the parameters of confidentiality guidelines and other legal implications.
This is a lengthy post and I do apologize for that but this is a topic that is much bigger than a fb discussion. You could research it for days in any level and still have questions.
In short, my position on bullying is this;
If you are a parent and are aware of a situation with your student, teach your child healthy ways to address the problem through age appropriate methods. Teach your child to go to the teacher, principal or proper level of authority. As a parent, be accountable, follow ip with your child on the issue and make sure it is okay. Pay attention to their behaviors to measure if they are showing signs of depression or unhealthy changes in behaviors that warrant mental health resources in coping with issues. As a parent, follow up with the teacher or principal to ensure the issue is addressed and resolved and seek the proper level of authority until it is resolved.
As a teacher or employee; if you feel you need more resources to be better equipped to handle the issue, please ask for it with your level of authority and also employ accountability. If you feel your concern wasn’t addressed, please follow the process and chain of command until you are satisfied.
As a school board member, I too will exercise the same level of accountability. And as a fellow resident of this community I will also, be a person of encouragement to the child who feels left out, the child who doesn’t understand healthy ways of coping, the friend who gives a mom a resource for counseling or a phone number to call the district to make an appointment to discuss the concerns and I will always care. I will also accept any productive ideas for combatting the issue.
This is a time for all of us to say, “what can we do better to improve this siruation? What resources can we provide to staff, faculty, administration, students and parents to combat the issue?” I am not afraid to address issues and I am unwaivered by public opinion and popularity when it comes to doing the right thing and supporting accountability. However I am also a proponent for following the chain of command, giving our leadership the opportunity to be involved to do their job, and maintaining a level of respect at all times. To that end, I also have no problem adhering to accountability and also seeing a bigger picture to again, discuss and brainstorm ideas to make a difference for future endeavors.
Is the answer mental health resources, is it restricting cell phone usage, is the answer encouraging more parental involvement in activities and presence in volunteer activities, is the answer more training and resources for staff and faculty? Is the answer tighter policies? I think the answer is, there isn’t just one answer itself. Bullying can be discussed for days honestly and every day we will always have a new idea and that is wonderful! But please, if you see something, say something. If you know something, say something and follow up to ensure it was addressed and follow the chain of command to ensure the call to action. Make an appointment with your leadership team and address it if necessary. I do care about this topic and I think I speak for the entirety of the board that we all do take this issue very seriously, as do my fellow candidates.
Regardless of your role, board member, employee, parent, guardian, student or community leader or community member, let’s work together to improve the environment for our youth in homes, in public, on social media and be good examples of healthy behaviors for our children to emulate. We all as adults, have a contribution to be made.
Thank you again for your support.
